Report: The Power of Ideas

JOHANNESBURG, 01.03.2016: A report released by the Institute of Race Relations [IRR] this week has found that relations between and among persons and population-groups* in South Africa are in a good state. The report was based on a field survey commissioned by the IRR.

According to the report:

A majority of 76.2% of South Africans feel relations between and among persons and population-groups have stayed the same or improved since 1994.

A majority of 85.4% of South Africans agree that different population-groups need each other.

A majority of 90.8% of South Africans would support their children being taught by someone out of a population-group other theirs.

White South Africans support the need for redress.

Black South Africans do not believe that whites should be treated as second-class citizens.
Only small minorities of both black and white people hold hostile views of the other population-groups.

Differences in opinion between population-groups are seldom much more significant than opinionswithinpopulation-groups. For example, within the white population there may be a level of disagreement about quotas in sports-teams comparable to the level of disagreement that exists between black people and white people.

Black and white South Africans agree that improved living-standards and better economic prospects will secure sound future-relations between and among them.

According to IRR Policy Fellow Sara Gon, “the results should fill all South Africans with hope. The acrimonious `race-debate´ that has raged in newspapers and on social media this year is not a reflection of what the silent majority of South Africans feel.

The great majority of South Africa’s people respect each other and want to continue getting on well with each other. This is remarkable, considering the poverty and unemployment levels that still confront our society. It is testimony to the commitment of the majority of South Africans to see our democracy succeed.

That relations remain sound is not a reason for complacency, however, and sound future relations will depend on continuing real improvements in the living standards of all South Africans”.